Also called: Smoked Fish Maker, Smokehouse Worker
Brines and smokes salmon, whitefish and other fish over wood, following strict safety steps to make lox and smoked fish.
The day starts by pulling fish from brine tanks and laying them on racks. Into the smokehouse they go, cold-smoked for lox or hot-smoked until flaky, while the operator watches temperatures and logs every batch for food safety. Then it is slicing, packing and cleaning.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. Trained on the job; food safety certificates help.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Food Science.
Growing about average. Steady in places like Alaska, the Great Lakes and New York.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Automated slicers and ovens handle more steps, but small smokehouses still rely on skilled hands.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at smokehouses and seafood processors or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Culinary arts CTE class, Biology, Chemistry.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.